Roof construction.



C. W. DONALDSON.

ROOF CONSTRUCTION. APPucATIpN FILED sEPT.27. |917.

Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

IINIVIED- STATES PATENT FIWIQE.

CHARLES W.' DONALDSON, 0F AKRON, OHIO, lASSIGrNOIB'. TO DONALDSON ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROOF CONSTRUCTION.

To all lwhom t may concern: Be it known that I, CHARLES W. DONALD- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing 'at Akron, in the countyl of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roof Constructions, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has relation to fireproof building construction and forms a part of a system of such construction which has been devised by me as a part of a special system of concrete construction wherein I am enabled to erect a structure almost wholly of concrete or plastic material without the necessity of employing the customary wooden forms. This invention embodies the particular roof construction contemplated in my system above referred to, said roof construction involving essentially the use of reinforcing elements constituting form members but ultimately comprising a portion of the permanent structure erected, said form members being used in such a way as to provide the actual forms by which I am able to construct plastic rafters in place, and excellently reinforced, together with overlying slabs constituting the roof proper.

The system utilized by me in accordance with my invention enables a structure to be erected with great expedition, aHords when finished a roof of almost unlimited lasting qualities, not to mention those advantages appertaining to Iireproofness and strength or substantiality. Y.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing a roof embodying the essential features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective .view illustrating more particularly the manner in which the ridge rod roof form members proper, ridge form members, and interconnecting means are assembled;

Fig. 3 is al perspective v1ew showing more fully the manner in which the concrete or plastic material is poured upon the permanent forms of the roof to provide the remforced rafters and topmost slabs forming the roof proper; and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4i, 19M).

Application led September 27, 1917. Serial No. 193,515.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a de- .tail comprising the means of suspension of assembling in place opposite series of rafter rods 2 and 2 each rod having a hook 3 at its lower end engaged with a staple 4 embedded in the upper portion of the wall l. At adjacent ends, and where the ridge of the roof comes, the rods 2 and 2 have hooks 5 engaging over a ridge rod 6. Furthermore, at points intermediate their ends opposing adjacent rods 2 and 2 are connected together by the horizontal brace or tie rods 7, the ends of which have hooks engaglng deflected portions of the rods 2 and 2. Supporting the rods 7 are the suspen# sion tie rods 8 looped at their upper ends over the ridge rod 6, preferably at points between and adjacent of the rods 2 and 2, the lower ends of said rods 8 being in hooked engagementy with the rods 7.

Thus far I have described in brief a reinforcing frame-work preferably metallic, which frame-work ultimately forms a metal reinforcement for the plastic roof construction made in place.

I support upon the various rafter rods 2 and 2" additional reinforcing members which, however, constitute form members 9, these members being comprised of metal lath, preferably of expanded metal. The form members are rovided -with U-shaped rafter forms 9a an said members are suspended from the rods 2 and 2 by U-shaped clips 10, seen best in Fig. 4, the sides of said clips having tongues 10a adapted to pass through openings in the lowermost portion Vof the forms 9a and to be bent laterally and upwardly in engagement with such portions of the forms 9a to firmly support the latter. At'their upper ends the form members 9 are supported by being secured by suitable ties 11 to the outstanding wings 12 of the ridge form members 13, the latter being of channel-like form and arranged so that the ridge rod 6 is disposed somewhat centrally of the space between the sides thereof.

To establish a -positive supportlng relation intermediate the parts 2, 2 and 6, and

lthe form members, the ridge form members 13 are supported by hangers 14 of somewhat U-form, the base of each hanger being slotted to receive the suspension tie rods 8 and the sides thereof being slotted to engage over the rafter rods 2 and 2 adjacent to the hooks 5, all as seen best in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The ridge'forms 13 being above the hangers 14 are rendered of increased rigidity thereby and virtually form connectors between the hangers 14 and the main roof form members 9.

In the practical application of my invention, the construction of a roof involves the preliminary assemblage of the form members, rafter, ridge and reinforcing rods, as above set forth. Thereupon the under sides of the form members 9 forming virtually a metal latch roof form, are plastered over with a rich coat of cement mortar. When this plaster is in its final stages of setting, the plastic material, preferably concrete, of which the roof and its. rafters are to be constructed, is poured upon the form so as to fill up the rafter forms 9, and to provide a suflicient thickness of material for the roof slabs above the rafters thus constructed. Thereafter the surface of the roof may be finished byasuitable cement finish and hardener, this being a well known expedient in the art.

In view of the above it will be apparent that the lath forms utilized by me are rendered substantially imperforate by the mortar plastered over the same on the under sides thereof, and when thus rendered irnperforate, so to speak, they afford all the facilities of wooden forms whereby to facilitate the moldingin place of the roof, rafters and slabs proper. I utilize certain details in regard to the formation of the lower ends of the members 9 and the formation of gable ends and verges, the former being shown in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. In combination, a supporting wall and a roof thereon comprising reinforcing elements consisting of foraminous form members, a plaster applied to one side of said form members, roof slabs supported by the form members consisting of plastic material poured thereon to a1 proper depth, the form members comprising rafter forms, rafter rods disposed within the said rafter forms, hangers intermediate said rods and form members, roof slabs supported by theI form members consisting of plastic material poured thereon to a proper depth, the form members comprising rafter forms, rafter rods disposed within the said rafter forms, hangers intermediate said rods and rafter forms whereby to support the form members, said rafter rods extending in opposite directions, aridge rod connecting the rafter rods, said rafter rods being so arranged that plastic material poured upon the form members will enter the rafter forms so that the rafter rods will be embedded therein, ridge form members connecting adjacent ends of the first mentioned form members, and plastic material poured between said adjacent ends of the first named form members and in the ridge form members and providing when set a rigid beam in which the ridge rod is embedded.

3. In combination, a supporting wall and a roof thereon comprising reinforcing elements consisting of foraminous form members, a plaster applied to one side of said form members, roof slabs supported by the form members consisting of plastic material poured thereon to a proper depth, the form members comprising rafter forms, rafter rods disposed within the said rafter forms, hangers intermediate said rods and rafter forms whereby to support the form members, said rafter rods extending in opposite directions, a ridge rod connecting the rafter rods, said rafter rods being so arranged that plastic material poured upon the form members will enter the rafter forms so that the rafter rods will be embedded therein, ridge form members connecting adjacent ends of the first mentioned form members, plastic material poured between said adjacent ends of the first named form members and in the ridge form members and providing when set a rigid beam in which the ridge rod is embedded, horizontal tie rods connecting oppositely extending rafter rods together and engaging the same intermediate the ends of each of them, suspension rods connecting said tie rods with the ridge rod, and hangers engaged with oppositely extending rafter rods adjacent to the ridge rod and supporting the ridge forms.

4. In combination, a wall or similar sup- 1,293,378 Y y m port and a roof thereon comprising oppositely inclined form members, ridge connecting means between said members at their adjacent ends, ridge form members at said adjacent ends of the roof` form members, roof slabs formed of plastic material poured upon the roof form members to a prede- 

